What is contour ploughing?

ploughing across a slope. Each furrow holds water back.

Which method cuts a slope into flat steps?

terracing. Terraces are common where rice is grown on hillsides.

low banks of earth or stones. They hold back water and slow the wind.

it reduces wind speed. Slower wind carries less soil.

it improves soil structure, so particles hold together. Crumbs of soil are harder to move than loose grains.

ploughing up and down the slope. That makes channels for the water and speeds up erosion.

In plain words

Stopping erosion comes down to two ideas: slow the water and slow the wind. Every method here does one or both, and the exam wants to hear which.

Terracing cuts a slope into flat steps. Water stays on each step and soaks in, so there is less surface run-off and less movement of soil.
Contour ploughing means ploughing across a slope, along the contours, and not up and down it. Each furrow acts as a small dam, which reduces surface run-off.
Bunds are low banks of earth or stones built across a slope or around a field. They hold back water, which reduces surface run-off, and they reduce wind speed and wind erosion.
Wind breaks are rows of trees or hedges planted along the edges of fields. They protect crops and reduce wind speed, so there is less wind erosion.
Maintaining vegetation cover: roots bind the soil, and the plants reduce surface run-off and absorb water. Soil should not be left bare between crops.
Adding organic matter improves the structure of the soil. The particles stick together in crumbs, which are harder to wash or blow away, and the soil holds more water.
Limitations. Terraces take a great deal of labour to build and repair. Wind breaks take land out of use and shade the crop next to them. Contour ploughing is awkward for machines on steep land.

A farm on flat, dry, open land loses soil in dust storms. Suggest two suitable strategies and explain each.

The problem is wind erosion, so the methods for slopes and water are not the answer.
Plant wind breaks: rows of trees reduce the wind speed across the fields.
Keep the soil covered with vegetation, so that roots bind it and it is never bare. Adding organic matter helps the particles to stick together.

Match the method to the cause. Terracing and contour ploughing are for water on slopes. Wind breaks are for wind. Bunds help with both.
Contour ploughing goes across the slope. Ploughing up and down makes channels that carry the water away faster.

6 questions, about 2 minutes.

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6 questions

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3 questions, 7 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Cambridge IGCSE Environmental Management 0680 · 7 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

Explain how terracing reduces soil erosion.[2]
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The slope is cut into flat steps. Water is held on each step and soaks in, so there is less surface run-off to carry soil away.
I got this one
Explain how wind breaks reduce soil erosion.[2]
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Rows of trees or hedges reduce the wind speed across the field. Slower wind picks up less soil.
I got this one
Explain three ways in which keeping plants growing on the soil reduces erosion.[3]
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The roots bind the soil together. The plants reduce surface run-off. The plants absorb water.
I got this one

1. The slope is cut into flat steps. Water is held on each step and soaks in, so there is less surface run-off to carry soil away.
2. Rows of trees or hedges reduce the wind speed across the field. Slower wind picks up less soil.
3. The roots bind the soil together. The plants reduce surface run-off. The plants absorb water.